Thread 17 - Corona Cohort Summer Vacation to Yr 13, Finding Freedom?

[Orangecinnamon21]

PLACEHOLDER FOR NEW THREAD ...PREVIOUSLY TO BE FOUND IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Apparently NI numbers are actually issued at birth and if you have child trust fund paperwork the ref no is the NI number.

Grrrr How many hours did I search?

And Sainsburys didn’t have my gin or chocolate in the click and collect so I can’t even drink or chomp through my annoyance.

Now off to have a moan with a tonic water and a slice of lemon….

@Zanda.
That was me looking for DS's driving license this week. Apparently the driving instructor had it!
Then ds1 couldn't find his glasses after looking for half an hour and was 10mins. late for his lesson.

@ExtremelyDisorganised Fabulous thank you! Taken the number from that. (Your name clearly belies your life admin.)

@Zandathepanda Not convinced lemon is a substitute for chocolate in any circumstance.

I found that out on another thread a few weeks ago when someone else had lost their DS's NI no! I change my ED name every month, this month reflects the fact that we are in the middle of a kitchen refit and the whole house is in chaos with the contents of the old kitchen stashed all over the place including a "camp kitchen" in the living room, laundry room in the garden shed etc.

Good to know it's not just me!
Good luck with all the works.

Thanks, I feel a bit sorry for my DCs as they are at home most of the day with the work going on while DH and I go to work, we had hoped to do it last term but it didn't work out. The cats are most unimpressed too.

@20newnames thank you for the Durham information. This is DDs aspirational.

We're considering doing a flying visit at the end of August. It would be up one day, overnight stay, do the tour, have a mooch about and drive home. We're in the south east so about a 5 hour drive on a good day. Does anyone think this is enough time to get a feel? We can't stay longer or go later as DD has Y13 exams in September and a field trip.

EwwSprouts yes my weekly bar of green and blacks chocolate is sorely missed. We had £40 less of shopping as there were so many unavailables.

mumma if you can, I would take the train. Even without railcards it can work out the same in petrol. It’s less than 3 hours from London on the East coast line. Dd got a £15 one way ticket from Newcastle to London last year. Much more relaxing than the A1/M1

We made it down to Dorset for our holiday, I was convinced we were going to get told to isolate or get covid and not be able to come.

I am having a disaster of a holiday though. Well was good yestfst. But DH was in a mood from this morn. Ds3 (age 12) who we have lots of problems with, woke up in a bad mood too, moaned, contradicted absolutely everything we said all morning, ended up with dh thumping him (not hard!) when we were out, dh refused to spend anymore time with him. So he lay on the grass and sulked at lulworth cove. I went for a bit of a walk with ds3. Would have loved to walk over the hill to durdle door. But had to head back to where we are staying. Then this eve Ds didn't want to come for a walk, so dh and I went on our own. We were gone about an hour. Ds3 kept messaging to say he was scared and for us to hurry home. When we got home he was upstairs crying in a corner, he was acting a bit pathetic, but perhaps he really was scared. Anyway...dh was annoyed at him, says he's ruined the holiday. Now wants to pack up and go home. So its 11pm and dh is in the bedroom. I'm on the sofa, cold. I don't want to go home...I want to smack their heads together.

Sorry...very off topic. But wanted to have a moan!

@mummabear74 we are staying two nights in a premier inn in the centre of Durham. We’re getting the train up as it would be 5.5 hrs drive and all that time on the A1 would do my head in. We got advance tickets via LNER which were about £120 for three of us I think.

We are then staying in York for a night as that is also on DS’s shortlist.

Wow @icanbewhatiwant that sounds tough. Hope it soon improves

We went up to Newcastle early morning (Newcastle is 15 mins after the Durham stop). Then late at night got the train from Newcastle to York and stayed overnight in York so we were up early to ‘do’ York. Very tiring! Loved both though.

@20newnames we stayed in that Premier Inn in Durham a few years ago on an overnight between Yorkshire and Scotland, it. is very convenient for the city centre. Got midged to bits walking along the river in the evening though.

@icanbewhatiwant - I hope things improve tomorrow, that does sound hard.

Thanks for the midges tip extremely!

zanda we may also nip up to Newcastle but DS was really put off after a rubbish virtual open day so is not keen.

@20newnames we're also looking at the same Premier Inn. Looked at the trains and it's coming in at £370 for two(!!) so it'll have to be a drive. York and Leeds are also on the shortlist so ideally should do an extra night but running out of annual leave.

Thanks for the midges tip @Zandathepanda

£370 😱. We did book advance tickets when they came out and carefully selected cheaper trains to avoid that and are going in mid August. But £370, just wow!!

@icanbewhatiwant sorry to hear your holiday isn't going to plan. That sounds tough for DS3. Has this happened before?

We're off for a week from tomorrow and I'm concerned expectations are huge. It's our first trip away since before the lockdowns but the weather is pants and we'll all be on top of each other if it rains.

@20newnames yes it's making me think if it becomes a choice then we'd have to plan very carefully in order to afford the travel, etc.

@icanbewhatiwant sorry to hear the holiday is begging spoiled by moody family members. Hope the sun comes out and they chest up tomorrow.

icanbe hope the holiday gets better for you - can you take yourself off on your own for a walk?
20newnames I wouldn’t do Durham and Newcastle in a day - too much to see in Newcastle . I adore Newcastle and would live there if I could.

@icanbewhatiwant you can't go today because Camp Bestival traffic will just be irritating.

I hope things get better for you. Is there a spa you can book into?

@icanbe I hope you're having a better day today?
DD2 is chasing around London trying to get her first vaccine. The first place they were queuing ran out of vaccine. Now they're waiting at the second. Her friend needs her second one, but most places are refusing to give it apparently.

More exciting theory test news: Pearson have gone and cancelled again - how and why is this happening?

Fingers crossed your week improves @icanbewhatiwant. For what it's worth, my dh is always a bit stressed and on edge the first couple of days away and my kids always take a while to settle into it too.